CEM

ANALYST
REPORT
experience of devices? Some argue that it is important for CEM
reasons for a CSP to detect that devices are, for example,
freezing video frames, even if it can't do anything about them.
The fact that such issues are brought into a CEI means that
CSPs can take action, if only to exonerate their networks.
This is a further argument for broadening the scope of a CEI,
although an index that tries to model and reflect the universe of
potential factors influencing customer perception may well be
unachievable. Hence the TMF's CEMI validation programme
and vendor assertions that their indices are the result of long
experience of what really matters. Hence, too, some CSPs'
adoption of NPS alone as a guide to CEM, avoiding the
messiness of inside out metrics. Both of these approaches are
in their infancy and have a long way to go.
While the customer's voice is important and most CSPs
measure it, there is skepticism regarding its suitability as a
single indicator. "It's not clear how the customer voice moves
and what drives it," according to one Tier 1 European
incumbent CSP. "We can survey our customers over and over
again, but this doesn't necessarily deliver a statistically
meaningful result." Another CSP remarks, "You can provide the
most reliable service ever, but if a customer is willing to take a
hit for $5 less, you can't do much about it." Interestingly, the
European incumbent claims that its outside in scores lag the
inside-out metrics, and that the business feels the impact first
when it gets CE wrong.
Conclusion
CSPs recognise that CEM is a management discipline that: applies across their organisations; requires senior management
buy-in because of the cultural change it brings; involves an internal process improvement programme that in part needs to
be driven by listening to the customer voice; and is underpinned, in a CSP context, by strong network management, since
the network is the primary contributor to CSP CE. Technologies and services such as VoLTE, 4G/5G, streaming video and
mobile data/OTT will put additional strain on the network. This makes it even more critical for CSPs to keep a close eye on
network quality so as not to jeopardise these emerging revenue streams.
CSPs have traditionally been poor at listening to the voice of the customer and using it to drive internal improvement.
Adoption of an indicator such as NPS is a good step forward but can be misleading as the only metric guiding CEM. CSPs
are also evaluating the merits of broader CE indices and new formalised (modelled) approaches to network performance
management. The latter use algorithms to predict and control service quality in the first place – and by proxy, the user
experience – rather than compensating for/fixing CE failures once they have occurred.
It is still early days for the CEM-driven CSP, although we expect their levels of understanding to continue to grow. The
amount of data being generated by a plethora of devices will only increase, supporting demand for automated CEM
solutions that can help them collect, process, and act upon it. The signs are, however, that early adopters will be taking the
next steps toward process automation and CE analytics-driven customer service to maintain their market leadership and
simultaneously drive costs down and customer satisfaction up.
About Heavy Reading
Heavy Reading, the research division of Light Reading, offers deep analysis of emerging telecoms
trends to network operators, technology suppliers, and investors. Its product portfolio includes indepth
reports that address critical next-generation technology and service issues, market trackers
that focus on the telecom industry's most critical technology sectors, exclusive worldwide surveys
of network operator decision-makers that identify future purchasing and deployment plans, and a
rich array of custom and consulting services that give clients the market intelligence needed to
compete successfully in the global telecom industry.
www.heavyreading.com
30 VANILLAPLUS MAGAZINE I AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015